Who Cares for the Caregivers?

Almost half of interdisciplinary care staff at Providence Health Care’s long-term care facilities exhibit signs of burnout, according to research published by a team of long-term care staff funded in the Providence Practice-Based Research Challenge.

The researchers wanted to understand how interdisciplinary long-term care team members are affected by the death of residents they are caring for. They also sought to identify strategies to help staff better cope with death. Supports that staff considered helpful included debriefing with staff and families, effective interaction between care team members, and educational workshops about death and dying.